The first iteration of The Mix came and went this past Friday. Thanks to those who prayed.
First: the good stuff…
The event went really, really well. Things came together well and in some instances pretty much miraculously. We had the most Riverwood young adults out that we’ve ever had at a single event. Kristie and Roshonna did an awesome job with the live music.
Second: the tough stuff…
Only three people from the community came. I know, I know… my attitude should be AWESOME! 3 PEOPLE CAME! I’ll get there. Everyone else around me had that attitude. They had taken to heart (better than I had) my pre-event encouragement that this is the first time we’re doing this… whatever happens we will build on for the next one… we’ll learn some great things from this. And it’s all true and I’ll get there. But if you’ve ever put yourself out there and poured yourself out and given much to painstakingly create something… with all the hopes, dreams and visions that entails…. and have so few show up… you understand my dissappointment.
Plus I couldn’t get my camera to take decent pics.
Third: good stuff, part 2…
It was SO good to get this first one under our belt. And yes, we learned tonnes that will benefit us for the next one. And even though few showed it was great to see that we could actually do this and be prepared for so many more.
It also has challenged my ministry in a positive way in terms of re-thinking how best to connect and impact the young adults in the surrounding community. I can’t sit in my office and send out flyers and expect them to just come to me. I’ve got to get out there. Not sure what that will look like yet.
I’m not the first in ministry to experience this sort of a lack of response to something worked so hard on… and I won’t be the last. This is normal. If you have two failures for every success, you’re actually ahead of the curve. If somebody reading this now has a similar experience in the future… it would be a great joy to me if they remembered this post and were strengthened in their dissappointment.
And I get to experience dissappointment and, in my eyes, failure. Yes I consider this a positive. Very much so. All of life is a classroom if you let it be. And I get to experience God in this. Teaching me and changing me. Maybe you think failure is a bit harsh. I know there were many successes in that evening. Let me give you a glimpse of my heart: I feel failure over every young adult from Riverwood that hasn’t connected to Stir yet. I feel failure over every young adult from the neighbourhood that didn’t come to The Mix on Friday. Resist the urge to set me straight, however gently and lovingly. I eagerly embrace the breaking of my heart over those God has called me to love. It is what it is and God and I are having an amazing discussion about it.
After all I am nooc. Yet He is using me. Thus I am alive.
9 comments
Comments feed for this article
Trackback link
http://nooc.voxtropolis.com/2006/05/03/what-happened/trackback/
May 3, 2006 at 5:56 pm
mixed moss
Congratulations. You are in a good place. It doesn’t seem good, but since when has the appearance of evil necessarily coincided with the actuality? “I think servants of the enemy would seem fairer and feel fouler…”
I like a good solid failure at the beginning of something. It means that I can pick up and continue on with no expectations to fulfill, nothing left to lose. And then, with the pressure off, I can enjoy the journey.
Yeah, so what does “nooc” refer to? I’ve often wondered. Well, regardless, feel valued. Feel used. Because in a backwards way that is the total opposite of what takes place in human interactions, with God those two things go together. And they are beautifully demonstrated in you.
May 3, 2006 at 6:29 pm
onelife
Good stuff. I totally hear you on the second point, i don’t know how many times i’ve been personally disappointed by things like numbers of people.. but there’s nothing that compares to doing what’s on your heart, even when not many people show up. Congrats.
May 3, 2006 at 10:06 pm
nooc
Thank you both…
It’s both a blessing and a curse that you don’t get to bask in either your successes or failures for very long in ministry… similar to any other job I guess… or school… or life….
I haven’t fully digested this past Friday yet this COMING friday is sure breathing down my neck. This time it’s iteration number 2 of “Cafe of the Dead”. Very excited/nervous… had a great first one… really set the tempo… created some pretty big expectations for this next one… oops.
Mel - just letting you know that the next “soulspresso” happens in 1.5 weeks. This is the event where we explore artistic creativity where I’d love to present one of your poems. No pressure!
as for nooc - it’s an acronym. I’ll leave it at that in case you want to have fun figuring it out. Kept Deena (obahsomah) busy for awhile. I mention it some where else on this blog I think.
nooc
May 4, 2006 at 2:54 pm
mixedmoss
No One Over Christ– You believe all this Christian stuff.
Not Overly Ostentatious Captain– You’re in charge of the ministry you run, but don’t want to appear overly large, in hopes of encouraging input from those in the ministry.
Not On Oprah’s Channel– Like “not on my watch”, only for fans of the show so extreme that the channel she’s on is their entire subsistence.
Neat Operator’s Open Cruise– because you’re such a smooth criminal that noone can stop you.
Nifty Option for Oxen Crap– You’ve invented a really big pooper scooper, for the farmers in Canada who have slightly larger problems than the average city dog-walker.
New! Olive Oil in Cans!– In an alternate universe, you write marketing materials for P&G.
Next Oliver Opens a Cafe– Your twin brother Oliver is opening a coffee shop based on ideas developed while launching Stir.
-Mel
May 4, 2006 at 3:13 pm
nooc
See? Isn’t that more fun than just telling you?
a hint: sometimes it’s a self-deprecating view of myself that I wallow in, sometimes it’s a needed reminder to not think too highly of myself, sometimes it’s a mysterious response and obvious deflection to someone asking “who are you?” that hints there is much more under the surface than is being revealed… so don’t believe it for a second.
May 12, 2006 at 12:47 am
Nicolas Nelson
Hey there, GreggyD! I found you!
For the longest time I’ve had my bloglines subscribed to your old site, and nothing was happening– I was worried about you. Kidnapped by mystic warriors or something. Then Alex tells me “oh, he posts pretty often actually,” and alerts me when you’re on the Vox page with a recent post.
Sheesh, do you always make it this hard for folks to find you?
And in my experience, it’s more like five or six failures per success, depending on how you look at things. But that’s probably just me.
Anyway, things are pretty crazy in LA right now; can’t even begin to tell you, but at least my kids and my marriage are okay (as far as I can tell, haven’t seen or heard from my wife in a while… that’s part of the adventure I’m not telling you all about right now) and my career MIGHT be looking up. Maybe. Might have a house to live in someday too, but even that’s in peril now. I’ll port all my blog content over to Voxtropolis somehow in the next few months, but right now it’s cooling its heels at DiaryofanUrbanHouse.com. Sign in first and hidden personal posts will magically appear.
Grace and strength to you, Greg!
In Him,
–Nic
(How about “no one of consequence”, or “not out of college”?)
May 12, 2006 at 11:06 am
nooc
Nic!
I thought you were a tad quiet on the comments for awhile. Glad you found me.
Yes my vox has intentionally kept a low profile. I don’t want to be opaque or inauthentic… just living in the tensions of being on staff at a church and wanting to feel free to post “on the edge” sometimes. I toyed with the idea of a “hidden” and completely anonymous vox to feel even more freedom in this regard but haven’t pursued it… much.
Anyhoo, I’ve been seeing some of your posts from time to time… house is coming along. I’m tempted to come all the way to LA just to urban camp with you!
nooc
p.s. - I can’t tell you that your first guess of nooc is correct because mixed moss is still trying to guess it. Shhh.
May 12, 2006 at 1:36 pm
Mixed Moss
Hah! I caught you. Americans aren’t that dumb.
Wow, I actually quite like that. Can I be nooc too? I promise not to get a screen name that says it or anything, but reminding myself of it every once in a while would be a relief.
-Mel
May 13, 2006 at 10:22 am
Nicolas Nelson
I want to join the nooc club too. There’s a great book exploring this idea by Louie Giglio, basically saying “I am no one of consequence, but I know Who is.” Deep stuff.
But replying to the “so, who are you?” with “I am not” doesn’t make sense in a social context unless you are ready to get into a profound and potentially bizarre conversation. (those are fun sometimes, but it doesn’t work as an offhand comment) I like nooc better.